Just Pretending
by Josephine Stone
Summary: That Draco is performing Veela mating dances for Harry to humiliate him surprises no one.
**Written for:** do me veela
 **Prompt:** Veela have elaborate courting rituals like some birds do. Give me Draco shaking his wings like a bird-of-paradise or Snape flashing some dark feathers or Lucius singing a seductive song.  
 **Rating:** PG  
 **Pairing(s):** Harry/Draco  
 **Word Count/ Art Medium:** 3600  
 **Summary:** That Draco is performing Veela mating dances for Harry to humiliate him surprises no one.  
 **Author's notes:** This prompt made me laugh (even more so with the video that was linked), so I tried to make this funny. Which lasted about a paragraph ashumour is my weakness. Thanks, digthewriter, for begin so quick with reading this and helping me make sense of it, andlomonaaeren for the hilarious prompt.

* * *

In the scheme of things, Harry shouldn't have been at all surprised that Malfoy was a Veela. That something magical drew people to him was the only explanation for how popular he'd been despite how horrible he was. On that note, since Malfoy's goal in life was to torture Harry, the fact that he chose to court him should have been even less surprising. He cringed as Malfoy hit a particularly high one—note that was. The least surprising thing about it all was how publicly he'd decided to pull this new stunt.

Today, Malfoy was serenading Harry with a song.

In the Great Hall.

During breakfast.

At least the wings hadn't made an appearance _yet_.

Harry choked on his eggs. He'd thought too soon—the wings were coming out. He jumped up from the table and left the Great Hall, trying to block out the sounds of laughter behind him. Although Harry had made a gallant effort during the song, it would have been impossible for him to eat once Malfoy brought out the wings. The wings meant dancing. Although Malfoy had only done it a couple times before, Harry had already noticed the pattern. If Malfoy were a bird then _maybe_ the dance _might_ look seductive, in a way.

Forget it. There was no being generous—Malfoy looked ridiculous, and whether he was a robin, a peacock, or a girl, he'd still look ridiculous.

By extension, it made Harry look ridiculous.

Still, ignoring Malfoy didn't work. Once Harry made it back to his dorm, he sighed as he fell back onto his bed. Hiding in his room wasn't an option for long. He had class in less than an hour and he couldn't avoid the Great Hall everyday. He was going to have to do something about Malfoy. Only, he had no idea what.

#

Pretending it was all a joke was the only way Draco could save face.

Only a full Veela could transform at will. Luckily, not everyone at Hogwarts knew everything about Veelas. Of Draco's friends, Pansy knew the most and what she knew she'd learned from romance novels. So it was easy to convince her the authors fudged a little truth for dramatic effect. They often did: like the mate thing. They weren't real.

Draco couldn't blame him being a Veela on his attraction to Potter. It'd be easy to lie about it. The Veela's magic inside him was just attracted to Potter's power. People would believe it. He'd debated about it up until his first spontaneous mating dance happened in the middle of Charms a few weeks ago.

Everyone laughed and Draco was humiliated.

Potter's expression went from shocked to outraged as he jumped to the same conclusion as the rest of their classmates _and_ the Professor had before Draco was able to gain control of himself.

That it was a joke.

He lost fifteen points for disrupting class and that was it. Later, everyone laughed with him as they talked about the look on Potter's face. Draco saw his only way out. He'd been bored was all, he said. Potter was Muggle-raised so it made perfect sense to tease him with magic he could never understand.

Pansy waited until they were alone to ask, 'I thought Veelas couldn't perform unless it was for their mate?'

'Mates aren't real, Pansy.' Draco sighed and leaned against her. 'We can choose whoever we want to be with just like everyone else, and we have more control over ourselves than your books say we do.'

It was only a half-lie. They did learn to control their transformations as well as their mating rituals, which were mostly instincts, but Draco was only part-Veela.

As long as no one became too curious and looked it up, Draco could pull off this charade until the end of the year.

Except, of course, Draco's crush was on Potter, and one of Potter's best friends was Hermione Granger; she only needed to hear a topic to want to learn more about it. Draco knew he was pushing his luck with the public mating dances but it was better than the alternative: private mating dances. Although he'd been able to slow their frequency, he couldn't stop them.

As long as everyone _knew_ it was just a stunt, he'd be laughing with them instead of being laughed at.

It was going to be fine.

Except for the part where everyone was so quick to assume it had to be joke; that the idea of Draco and Potter together was _that_ unimaginable; and that Potter looked horrified whenever he saw Draco.

And that there was still another year Draco had to get through as well before they'd leave Hogwarts.

He had to get control over this or start fancying someone else fast.

#

'What do you mean he should go along with it?' Ron paled as he stared at Hermione in shock and outrage. They were studying by the lake to keep away from all the laughter that had been following Harry everywhere.

'Yeah,' Harry said, 'what Ron said.' Although, his voice squeaked, and he couldn't find the same outrage. The shock was there, though. He got that part perfect.

'What everyone finds so funny is your reaction to it, Harry. If you just went along with it . . . flirted back a little . . . then everyone would be laughing at both of you, and not just you.'

'How would that help?' Harry asked, but Ron seemed to have caught on.

Nodding excitedly, Ron said, 'Malfoy wouldn't be able to stand being laughed at! It's gonna be great, Harry. You have to do it. Think about it. Fred and George do this all the time. If you are part of the joke, then the joke isn't on you.'

Hermione rolled her eyes, but agreed that was where she was going with it. 'Malfoy won't keep flirting with you if everyone started to laugh at his Veela Moonwalk. Malfoy was vain enough on his own before his Veela powers started forming. Veela are much like Hippogriffs in that regard. If someone insults their wings, they'll lose it.'

'I don't know,' Harry said. 'That seems kind of mean.'

'Harry,' Hermione said with a laugh. 'He's doing the same thing to you, right now. It's just to get him to stop. If he wants to keep it up, that's on him. It's not like he doesn't have a choice in this.'

Harry nodded as he picked at the grass in front of him. The thing was that Malfoy really didn't have a choice in whether he was a Veela or not. Having everyone laugh at Malfoy for that was what bothered Harry, but Hermione and Ron were right.

Malfoy chose to pick at Harry for no other reason than that he could.

It was a week before Harry had a chance to try it out; he'd become hopeful that he wouldn't have to. He also practiced being seductive in the mirror every night, just in case.

#

Draco held off as long as he could, but he felt the built up pressure shooting through him whenever Potter walked by. It was a Friday, and with double Potions Draco knew he didn't have a chance of making it through without a scene. Plus, Slughorn hated him.

The morning was the best option. It left him alone to concentrate on school for the rest of the day.

It almost happened at breakfast again, but Draco pushed himself to hold back just a bit longer. He needed to practice his self control anyway. _Just fifteen more minutes_ , he chanted in his head, counting them down as he ate as slowly as possible given the situation.

He left his friends behind to prepare himself in the corridor. There would always be people around. There was no way around that. But he leaned against the wall where two corridors met. A cross road that Potter had to pass to get to Potions no matter which direction he decided to go. It would have less people than if Draco waited outside the Great Hall, and less of a chance of running into a teacher than standing just outside the Potion's classroom.

When Potter's footsteps faltered, Draco smirked. He knew he'd been seen and that Potter was aware of what he was up to. He had to smirk to play the part. His wings sprang from his back—he'd held back too long and mixed with Potter's obvious discomfort he felt the need to show off—which normally came later on during the ritual.

Draco opened his mouth expecting to sing but instead his voice was rough, his throat was dry, and he said, 'What's a Veela have to do to get a kiss from you?'

He'd waited too long.

That was the gist of the song—but spoken in English—instead of being chirped. This was a form of the ritual which also generally happened later on. Draco had never let it get this far before.

Laughter filled the hallway, so he stretched his wings out and placed a hand casually on his hip. It had been a while since he'd put on a show, and people were calling their friends to come watch.

He was concentrating so hard on keeping himself balanced and his emotions from showing on his face that he didn't notice Potter heading right toward him until he was inches from his face.

 _Smiling_.

Draco sucked in a breath and then immediately regretted it. His senses being overwhelmed by Potter's smell made his knees go weak, and he knew he lost his smirk.

'All you had to do was ask, Draco.' Potter leaned toward him, closing his eyes.

He had the brief thought—is this real—before their lips touched. Potter only gave him a peck, and Draco's lips followed Harry's as they pulled away. He lost his balance and Potter had to catch him to keep Draco from falling on top of him. With Potter's hands still holding onto Draco's arms, their eyes met. Potter looked down to him in confusion. Shaking his head, Draco brought his weight back to his own feet and looked quickly around to see the reaction they'd received.

Potter's eyes lingered on Draco's face for only a moment before he did the same and whispered, 'Oh my God.'

Everyone around them was passionately snogging the person nearest to them.

'I didn't mean to—' Then it hit Draco what must have happened. He had wanted Potter to kiss him more; he'd been trying to pull Potter back to him with his magic. It must have been so strong it caused everyone to react to it.

Everyone except Potter.

Draco swallowed as the thought crashed through him. In an instant his wings were gone and everyone was pulling away from their own embarrassing snogging sessions. Well, almost everyone.

As Potter laughed at the crowd around him, Draco slipped away. He could hear everyone slowly joining Potter in laughing about the situation. He tried to find comfort it in. No one would think much about Draco's reaction to kissing Potter compared to that. They'll all be too caught up in their own drama.

He headed to the nearest bathroom to hide.

'It's fine,' Draco told his reflection once he was safely hidden in a bathroom. 'They're focused on themselves. They don't care about you.'

It wasn't helping. Splashing water on his face wasn't helping. His voice still shook because for once his social standing wasn't what was bothering him.

He'd always known that Potter wouldn't like him back, but seeing the strength of Potter's dislike toward him was a different thing altogether. Draco dried his face and then leaned his back against the bathroom's nearest wall, letting his legs give out and sliding to the floor.

Veela don't have mates.

He'd fall in love with someone else. He just needed to forget about Potter and move on. He'd needed to years before then and he knew that, but he was desperate then. He couldn't wait for them to leave Hogwarts and his parents to marry him off to someone.

He needed someone right now.

#

Hermione and Ron were both blushing and unable to look at each other. Harry laughed as he looked at everyone around him coming out of their Veela allure stupors. Soon everyone joined him, even if they weren't as amused by it as he was. Ron and Hermione joined Harry as the corridor cleared.

'I'm glad to see you smiling for once,' Hermione said as they moved on toward their morning class like everyone else.

'I didn't realise his magic could do that.' Harry was still smiling at his friends who couldn't look at each other. Harry had meant to brush his lips against Malfoy's, not actually kiss him. But even though it had been difficult for Harry to force himself away from Malfoy, he fared better than everyone else in there. Of course, he'd had practice at it. Practice overcoming mind control in general. It felt much the same to Harry.

Ron nodded in agreement. 'Now you know what it was like for me when Fleur used _that_ to get a date for the Yule Ball. There was no stopping it.'

Harry rolled his eyes. 'Let it go, Ron.' He never wasted a chance to defend himself over it; especially seeing how Fleur would soon be his sister-in-law.

'Speaking of: where'd Malfoy go?'

They'd made it to the Potions room, but Malfoy wasn't in it. In all the fuss, Harry hadn't seen which way Malfoy went. He hadn't cared until Ron pointed out that he was missing. It was unlike him to skip class though. Harry motioned for them to wait as he dug through his bag and found the map.

'Harry,' Hermione said. 'We'll be late.'

'Go, then. Just let Slughorn know that I had to go to . . . the loo?'

'Was that a question?'

Harry shot her an exasperated look.

'I'll tell him,' Ron said, and took Hermione's arm, pulling her into the classroom.

Slughorn wouldn't care. He'd make up Harry's excuse for him or brush it away if Harry didn't have one at all. Still Harry hesitated outside the classroom door. Malfoy might not want to be followed, and since he was hiding, Hermione's plan most likely worked. He was embarrassed and might finally leave Harry alone. Then again, on the scale of embarrassing moments Malfoy had lived through, this didn't hit very high.

Closing his eyes, Harry remembered the kiss and how difficult it had been for him to pull away. Something about it felt off to Harry. If Malfoy was just messing with Harry, why did he not only accept the kiss but use his Veela magic to try and get more from Harry?

There could have been another explanation, but the only person that knew was Malfoy. Watching the map, Harry walked to the bathroom Malfoy was still hiding in.

He entered slowly, trying to not make a sound or startle Malfoy.

Malfoy was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall when Harry entered. He couldn't see his face right away as it was half hidden against his arm that were crossed over his knees.

'Why are you doing this?' Harry asked.

Once he looked up, it was obvious that Malfoy had been crying. Harry took a cautious step toward him.

Malfoy opened his mouth as if to answer, but Harry cut him off before he said anything.

'And don't lie.'

He shut his mouth and looked away from Harry. 'Just leave me alone.'

'Are you going to leave me alone?'

Malfoy looked back at Harry his eyes going slightly wide.

'I wouldn't be here at all if you would quit following me around, trying to make a fool of me in the first place.' Harry sighed as Malfoy tried to find words and then sat next to him, leaning his head back against the wall. 'I'm already going to miss Potions so you have time to get it all out.'

'This is none of your business—'

'Once again, you made this my business when you—' Harry studied Draco's face. 'You can't control if, can you?'

Malfoy looked away again and leaned forward hugging his knees to his chest. This wasn't working. Harry was pretty sure that was as close to a yes as Harry was going to get. But what did that mean? Harry knew nothing about Veela, so he watched Malfoy's back as he tried to figure out why Malfoy would be compelled to perform mating dances for _him_.

'It just takes time,' Malfoy mumbled. 'I'm learning to control it.'

Harry bit his lip and since Malfoy still wasn't looking at him decided to attempt safer ground.

'How come your shirt isn't ripped?'

And it worked. Malfoy's head shot up and he looked at Harry in shock for a moment. When he saw Harry's question was genuine, he smirked.

'Magical fabric, of course. We knew I was a Veela and that wings were common enough that all my clothes have been made out of it for the last few years. It does rip when they come out, but it patches around the wings and then when it disappears, the fabric stitches itself back together.'

Their eyes met as Malfoy finished his explanation and Harry felt that pull again.

'Can you not do that?'

Malfoy looked stung. 'Do what?'

'That Veela allure thing,' Harry said. 'I mean if you're learning to control it, you probably need to know when you're doing it, and you just were again.'

Suddenly Malfoy was smirking again. 'I wasn't doing it right then.'

Harry swallowed. 'Are you sure?'

Then Harry felt it. Malfoy met his eyes with a concentrated look on his face, and Harry could feel it more in his head than the first pull was. They produced an oddly similar feeling only the first one seemed to come from Harry's gut and this one was certainly coming from his brain.

He didn't remember leaning in but Malfoy whispered, 'Potter' just before their lips touched. Since no one was watching, Harry didn't fight against it and let Malfoy push their kiss deeper. The longer they kissed, the less Harry felt Malfoy's magic in the back of his mind. He wondered if that meant Malfoy stopped or if Harry was too lost in kissing to notice it anymore. Harry pulled back and then felt Malfoy's wings on his back.

They'd moved around during the kiss and Malfoy's wings had come out again. They were enclosing them in a private dome. Malfoy took a couple of breaths as Harry took this in and then pulled Harry's mouth back to his own.

It became darker around them and the air was thicker as the wings moved to shield them.

When Harry pulled away again, Malfoy moaned, 'Potter.'

'Why me?' Harry asked. 'Is it because of my magic somehow? You hate me.'

'That's quite the opposite and you know it,' Malfoy said, climbing onto Harry's lap. 'And, though, it'd be nice if Veela were simply attracted to powerful wizards it's much simpler than that.' Malfoy didn't explain further; he just kissed Harry again.

Deciding he'd get answers out of Malfoy later, Harry relaxed into it.

#

Draco didn't realise he was cooing until Potter began to laugh. Draco was outraged for a second until his wings twitched and he remembered where they were and what they were doing and what that _meant_.

'So it's much simpler . . .?'

'Why must you keep asking such embarrassing questions?'

Potter brushed the tip of his nose against Draco's. 'If you answer the question, I'll kiss you again.'

Draco couldn't help but laugh. 'Shouldn't that bribe give it away?' As Draco pulled back so did his wings. He couldn't stop them from brushing against Potter's face as they slowly disappeared. He shook his head and wanted to blame them, but Draco knew it was all himself, even if sometimes it felt as though his wings had a mind of their own.

Potter gave him the look that said he was losing his patience. Draco closed his eyes and swallowed. Knowing it and saying it aloud were different things. Draco was long past denial at that point, but that he could read Potter so well was just another sign of how much he'd watched him over the years.

'It's simple. Veelas are attracted to the people they're attracted to just like everyone else. There is no underlying reason for it. The only difference is that we're compelled to court them so . . . keeping one's feelings hidden proves to be difficult.'

'How long?' Potter quickly kissed him after Draco rolled his eyes and repeated the question in a whisper as though that might make Draco more likely to answer it.

'Potions is probably over.'

'Nice de-rail there.' Potter smirked. 'Do you want to go shock my friends with the knowledge of our new relationship? I bet you a Galleon that Ron faints.'

'Are you serious?'

Potter bit his lip as he thought about it. 'Yeah, I think I am.' He held Draco's cheek and brush his thumb across his lips. 'I'd like more of this, and . . . we can work out the details later.'

'I bet Granger'll be the one to faint.'


End file.
